Controlled fluid unit



Aug. 11, 1964 A. M. sEvr-:RsoN

CONTROLLED FLUID UNIT Filed OGb. l2, 1962 l 0 m J/ w H l ,W, f p. u l N, N H f um j m rw/ n l INVENTOR, l saJop/v M SEL/PSOM 'Wwf/ United States Patent O 3,144,208 CNTRLLED FLUlll) "UNIT Asbiorn M. sleverson, Minneapolis, Minn., assigner to Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed @et 12, 1962, Ser. No. 230,076 2i Claims. (Cl. 237-3) The present invention is directed generally to a iiuid flow control system wherein a control device having no moving parts regulates the iow of liuid through associated loads in a manner to provide for only part of the fluid to iiow through the load at each control point. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a one pipe iiuid conditioning system, such as a hot water system, wherein the fluid is diverted either completely around a radiator or is diverted only partially through a radiator to provide an equal distribution of the fluid to a number of different radiators or heat exchange points.

The system disclosed in the present application is )particularly adaptable to a heating system normally referred to as a one pipe hot water system. In a one pipe hot water system, a pump supplies hot water from a boiler to a series of radiators and this distribution is accomplished by a single pipe leading into each radiator location and leading out of each radiator location. The economic advantages of providing a single pipe between the radiator locations, which are normally at widely diverse locations, are offset by the fact that all of the water can be made to pass through the first radiator thereby creating a substantial temperature drop in the water which passes on to the second radiator. In a string of radiators in this type of a system, the last radiator normally receives a substantially cooled water ow. From the standpoint of balanced heating and control, this type of an arrangement is very poor.

In order to overcome this type of operation many one pipe type hot water heating systems utilize a Valve of a mechanical nature so that the radiator will receive only a portion of the fluid flow in the system as opposed to being capable of utilizing all of the fluid flow. This arrangement is very unsatisfactory as normally the valves located at each radiator are of a manual type and can be adjusted at that point. As such, a system that can be balanced initially by setting the valves is readily unbalanced by persons increasing or decreasing the demand for heat at their particular location.

In more sophisticated heating systems it is more normal to supply a two pipe system wherein the fluid from the pump and boiler can be circulated more freely and cannot be called upon to supply heat primarily at one location thereby depriving locations further down the line from heated water. The invention disclosed in the present application is of a fluid amplifier type of diverting valve that has a built in control so that only a portion of the fluid passing through the system can be diverted through the radiator or load at any one location. This diversion can be accomplished manually or can be accomplished by means of a condition responsive means, such as a thermostat. The principle of operation of fluid amplifiers has become well known in the art and the basic concepts can be found in an extensive discussion in patents such as No. 3,001,539 to Hurvitz. The Hurvitz patent describes a fluid amplifier that operates on a principle that is somewhat similar to the applicants device and has been cited to provide a broader base of understanding of the technical reasons for the operation of the fluid amplifier device, which will be described in detail in the present application. The liuid amplifier device disclosed in the present application is substantially different from the Hurvitz device in that the inlets and outlets are ice different in number and function, and are located in different positions. Additional constructional differences will be pointed out, but it is felt that a consideration of the broad principle of operation can be found in the prior art and in no way form part of the present invention.

It is the object of the present invention to disclose a one pipe fluid hot water or cooling system that provides substantially even distribution of the temperature control fluid in such a manner that the end of the systems obtains substantially equal treatment to the input end of the system.

Yet another object of the present invention is to disclose a temperature control system with an absolute minimum of moveable parts, none of which are in the main fluid flow stream of the system.

And another object of the present disclosure is to provide for the disclosure of a flow control system for the distribution of fluid in a plurality of locations by the means of a single pipe between these locations.

And still a further object of the present invention is to disclose a fluid amplifier type unit that has a baffle to provide a diversion of flow of a controlled portion, or none of the fluid flow at all, depending on the condition of operation.

These and other objects will become apparent when the present specification is considered with the submitted drawings.

In the drawings- FIGURES 1 and 2 disclose a top View and a side view of a fluid control device, itself, of the fluid. amplifier type; and

FIGURE 3 is a schematic representation of a liuid conditioning system having five independent or different locations at which the fluid is diverted into a load or heat exchange device.

A fluid control device is disclosed in FIGURES l and 2 in a top and side view. The fluid control device includes a form of fluid amplifier means 10 that has been disclosed as made up of three laminated, clear plastic members 11, 12, and 13. The top member 11 and the bottom member 13 are nothing more than clear plastic plates which are held in a fluid tight relationship to the center member 12 by a plurality of bolts 14. The present device could be assembled by means of clamps, glue, or any other arrangement as long as the outer members 11 and 13 form a fluid tight seal with the center member 12.

As can be seen in FIGURE l, the center member 12 has a number of passages removed from it to form a fluid amplifier means 10. The fluid amplifier means 10 disclosed is Somewhat different from the conventional liuid amplifier and will be described in some detail. The fluid amplifier means 10 has an inlet pipe 15 that is threaded at 16 into the center member 12. The pipe 15, along with a rectangular passage, forms a main inlet means 17 for the amplifier. The main inlet means 17 feeds into a control chamber means generally shown at 20. The control chamber means 20 has a pair of opposed walls 21 and 22 that reduce gradually the chamber means in size at 23 to a narrow channel or main outlet means 24 which has a fluid flow capacity of approximately the same size as the main inlet means 17. The outlet means 24 has a pipe 25 threaded at 26 into it to provide a main fluid iiow path through the device.

A pipe 319 is connected to pipe 15 and supplies liuid from pipe 15 to a fluid control means 31 that can be u'any form of valve. In the specific embodiment disclosed in the present application, the fluid control means 31 is disclosed as a temperature responsive means or a thermostat. For convenience, the liuid control means 31 will be referred to as thermostat 31. The thermostat 31 has a pipe tially, conventional fluid amplirer. At this point, the amplifier device differs substantially from the ordinary fluid amplifier teaching and constitutes the basis of the disclosure of part of the present invention. The control chamber 20 has bypass outlet means 35 which is generally opposite the control inlet means 34. The bypass outlet 35 further has mounted on one wall 36, a baille means or plate 37. The baffle plate or deflection means 37 is shownras pinned at 40 into the wall 36. The baille 37 extends at 41 into the control chamber 20 and acts as a means for deflection of some of the fluid flow out of the bypass outlet means 35, as will be explained later. The bypass outlet means 35 is connected to a pipe 42 by threaded section 43.

In order to understand the operation of the system that is disclosed in FIGURE 3, a description of the operation of the fluid amplifier means 1t) will be made first. If a source of fluid, which will be described in detail in connection with FIGURE 3, is connected to pipe 15, a

yfluid flow exists in outlet means 17 to the control chamber means 20 and out of the outlet pipe 25. At the same time this fluid is applied to pipe `3f) through the thermostat or valve 31 to the control inlet means 34. If the thermostat 31 is closed, the fluid flowing from the inlet means 17 passes into the control chamber 20 and substantially entrains any fluid' that was contained originally in the control inlet means 34. This creates a lowered pressure along 4the wall 21 of the control chamber means 20 and the fluid flow issuing from the inlet means 17 attaches itself to the wall 21 and does not strike lthe tip 41 of the baille means 37. With this arrangement all of the fluid entering the inlet means 17 bypasses the outlet means 35 and passes in its entirety out of pipe 25.

If it is desired to switch the present fluid amplifier means 10, it is only necessary to open the fluid control means or thermostat 31 to allow a fluid flow from the control inlet means 34. The flow of fluid from the control inlet means 34 breaks the low pressure attachment that the fluids flow from inlet means 17 has for the Wall 21 thereby shifting the flow towards the wall 22 and the center of the control chamber. When the fluid flow from inlet means 17 is in the center of control chamber 20, the baffle means 37 deflects a percent of this fluid flow into the bypass outlet means 35 and that percent flow then exists through pipe 42. By positioning the baille 37 so that it projects further into this stream a varying percent of the total flow can be deflected from the inlet means 17 to the pipe 42.

It is thus seen that a fluid amplifier has been provided which either provides for complete fluid flow from the inlet means 17 to the main outlet pipe 25, or provides for a proportion of this fluid to be diverted by a baffle 37 to a secondary or bypass outlet means 35 for utilization. When the device has been shifted so that the flow partially exists in pipe 42, it is understood that flow exists in the main outlet pipe 25 at the same time. This arrangement provides for either diverting all of the fluid away from the pipe 42, or diverting a vportion of the fluid away from the pipe 42 and out through pipe 25 even Vthough the amplifier is switched to provide fluid flow in the center of chamber 20. The wall 22 is designed so that the fluid llow never attaches to wall 22.

The fluid amplifier means described in FIGURES 1 `and 2 will now be described in connection with a one pipe hot water system disclosed in FIGURE 3. A pump 50 is connected by pipe 51 to a fluid temperature conditioning means 52. The fluid temperature conditioning means 52, in a hot water system, would be a boiler. This 57 is connected from location 55 lto location 58.

vmined by the thermostat 31.

temperature conditioning means also could be a form of air conditioning system wherein cold water is supplied from 52 if it is desired to chill the system as will be described. Any other fluid conditioning could likewise be accomplished by means 52.

The pump 5t) has an outlet pipe 53 that goes to a first location 54. The rst location 54 can be thought of as an individual room for convenience. This first location, however, could be an individual area in a broader sense, that is an area without `any physical bounds but one which responds `to equipment in its own immediate location. This would be similar to a radiator or heat exchange ,means in a large open areabut which is responsive or Lcontrolled locally. The first location 54 is connected by a single pipe 55 to a second location 56 which is identical in configuration with the location 54. Again a single pipe Location 58 is connected by a single pipe 59 to location 6i) and location 60 is in turn connected by a single pipe 61 to a fifth location 62. The location 52 is connected by a single pipe 63 back to the fluid conditioning means 52 forl the system. The brief outline of the blocks of the system show that each of the locations 54, 56, 58, 65, and 62 are in a single series fluid circuit with but one pipe connecting each of the individual locations one to another. Each of the locations 54, 56, 58, 69, and 62 contain exactly the same equipment and the content of the loca-- tion 544 will be described in detail to correlate it with YFIGURES l and 2.

The location 54, if considered an individual room, has within it a fluid utilization means 66. The fluid utilization means 65 is made up of the fluid amplifier 10 and a heat exchange means or load 67. The heat exchange means or load 67 for the device is well known in the art. The balance of the content of the area is made up of piping which corresponds to the pipes disclosed in FIG- URES 1 and 2,`with the exception of the pipe 68 which connects the load 67 back to the pipe 25 that leaves the fluid amplifier 10. Since each of the locations 54, 56, 58, 60, and 62 contain identically the same equipment the numbers within each of these locations have been made identical and a-description of .the oper-ation of this system will now be supplied.

The system disclosed in FIGURE 3 will be specifically described as a heating system, even though it has been explained previously that this could be a heating and cooling system, or any other type of fluid flow system wherein it is desirable to connect various locations with a single pipe but yet where it is undesireable to pass all of the fluid flowing in the system through the load at each of the locations thereby utilizing all of the useable content of the fluid at the early locations without supplying the latter locations on `the system withtheir proporionate part of the fluid qualities.

If 52 is considered a boiler andV pump Sti supplies hot water under pressure to pipe 53, hot water is in turn supplied to pipe 15 at the first location 54, which can be most easily considered as an individual room. The hot water entering pipe 15 is directed into the fluid amplier 10 where it either passes straight through the room through pipe 25 and exits through pipe 55, or is deflected partially to pipe 42 and through the heat exchange means or radiator 67.V The decision on whether the fluid passes deflected partially into the heat exchanger 57 is deter- When the thermostat 31 calls for heat in the location 54, the thermostat 31 opens. This supplies fluid pressure in the outlet 34 of the fluid amplifier 10 thereby deflecting. the hot fluid flow in the control chamber means 2li to be deflected up against wall 22. As thelluid is deflected Vtoward wall 22 only a percent or portion of the fluid is deflected to pipe 42, through the radiator 67, and back to pipe 25 through the connecting pipe 68. It can thus be seen that a good proportion of the hot water passes through the location 54 without being utilized in the heat utilization means 66. The water being supplied to location S6 by pipe 55 is therefore quite hot and is capable of supplying heat to each of the subsequent locations. With each of the subse quent locations only being able to derive part of the heat supplied by the boiler 52, the last location, 62, is capable of deriving heat from this water without the Water having lost most of its heat if the previous four locations are each all calling for heat also. With this type of one pipe hot Water system a more even distribution of the tempera-ture control fluid is possible and an economical system has been derived.

It is obvious from the previous description, the boiler 52 could be any type of cooling unit, also, and that this same thing would apply to cooling of the individual locations. This concept also includes the idea of any type of fluid control system wherein it is desired to deliver a fluid from a source to a plurality of individual utilization means and where it is desired that the first utilization means be capable of only deriving part of the benefit of the fluid flow. As it becomes apparent that the present device and system are applicable to a large number of varying types of uses, the applicant wishes to be limited in the scope of the present invention only by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A temperature controlled fluid heat exchange system, including: a plurality of locations each including controlled heat utilization means; a heat transfer fluid under pressure connected to each of said heat utilization means in a series fluid circuit With a single pipe connecting each of said utilization means; each of said heat utilization means including fluid amplifier means having main inlet means in line with main outlet means and connected by control chamber means in said fluid circuit to provide a continuous fluid flow path for at least part of said fluid at all times; control inlet means connected through temperature responsive means to said inlet means and directed at said main inlet means and into said control chamber means to divert said fluid within said control chamber means for each of said amplifier means; said fluid amplifier means further including baille means projecting into said control chamber means at right angles to said inlet means; and by pass outlet means from said control chamber means connected to heat exchanger means to divert a portion of said fluid through said heat exchanger means when said fluid in said control chamber means strikes said baille means; each of said temperature responsive means controlling the fluid flow through its associated control chamber means from said control inlet means in response to said temperature responsive means to provide individual control of the temperature within the locations at which the temperature responsive means are located.

2. A temperature controlled fluid heat exchange system, including: controlled heat utilization means including a heat transfer fluid under pressure connected to said heat utilization means in a fluid circuit with a single inlet and a single outlet pipe; said heat utilization means including fluid amplifier means having main inlet means in line with main outlet means and connected by control chamber means in said fluid circuit to provide a con tinuous fluid flow path for at least part of said fluid at all times; control inlet means connected through temperature responsive means and directed at said main inlet means into said control chamber means to divert said fluid Within said control chamber means; said fluid amplifier means further including baille means projecting into said control chamber means att right angles to said inlet means; and bypass outlet means from said control chamber means connected to heat exchanger means to divert a portion of said fluid through said heat exchanger means when said fluid in said control chamber means strikes said baille means; said temperature responsive means controlling the fluid flow through said control chamber means to provide control of the temperature at the location of the temperature responsive means.

3. A fluid control device having a fluid flow, including: a fluid amplifier having a main inlet in line with a main outlet and connected by a control chamber in a fluid circuit to provide a continuous fluid flow path at all times for said fluid; a control inlet for said amplifier at a side of said main inlet means to divert said fluid within said control chamber; said fluid amplifier further including a baille projecting into said chamber at right angles to said inlet and main outlet; and a bypass outlet from said control chamber means connected to a load to divert a portion of said fluid through said load when said fluid in said control chamber strikes said baille.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

3. A FLUID CONTROL DEVICE HAVING A FLUID FLOW, INCLUDING: A FLUID AMPLIFIER HAVING A MAIN INLET IN LINE WITH A MAIN OUTLET AND CONNECTED BY A CONTROL CHAMBER IN A FLUID CIRCUIT TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS FLUID FLOW PATH AT ALL TIMES FOR SAID FLUID; A CONTROL INLET FOR SAID AMPLIFIER AT A SIDE OF SAID MAIN INLET MEANS TO DIVERT SAID FLUID WITHIN SAID CONTROL CHAMBER; SAID FLUID AMPLIFIER FURTHER INCLUDING A BAFFLE PROJECTING INTO SAID CHAMBER AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID INLET AND MAIN OUTLET; AND A BYPASS OUTLET FROM SAID CONTROL CHAMBER MEANS CONNECTED TO A LOAD TO DIVERT A PORTION OF SAID FLUID THROUGH SAID LOAD WHEN SAID FLUID IN SAID CONTROL CHAMBER STRIKES SAID BAFFLE. 